CHAPTER XXV.

HOW TO HAVE A PANORAMA SHOW 278

Choice of Subject, 278; Hunting Suitable Pictures, 279;

Colored Figures, 280; The Works of the Panorama, 281;

The Stage, 282; Footlights, 282; How the Panorama Box

is Built, 283; The Rollers, 284; Show-bills, 286; The

Lecture, 287.

INDEX 289

PART I.

FAIR WEATHER IDEAS.

[Illustration]

The Jack of All Trades.

CHAPTER I.

TREE-TOP CLUB HOUSES.

It is now over thirty years since the writer was first initiated into

the delights of a boys’ club-house in the tree-tops, and it happened in

this way:

The war of the Rebellion was over; for four years the fathers, big

brothers, teachers, and policemen of the border States had had so much

serious fighting on their own hands that little or no attention was

paid to the growing generation of boys, and they were left to fight

their own battles in their own way.

For four eventful years these boys were under practically no other

restraint than the little their poor half-distracted mothers could

enforce. The boys, however, did not appear to miss the discipline, nor

desire it, and, as far as their physical health was concerned, they

throve and developed into lusty lads, though many of them recognized no

law but that of physical force.

Gangs of young toughs, under the leadership of local bullies,

frequented the play-grounds and roamed along the river-fronts, where

they hunted down, pillaged, and beat every unprotected lad they could

catch out of sight of his own home.

In spite of the fact that the river-fronts were the favorite resorts of

the lawless element, those places presented so many attractions to the

juvenile mind that they were the popular play-grounds of all the boys

living within reach of their muddy banks and turbid waters.

About this time three boys of a Kentucky town, who were devoted to

boating and bathing, put their curly heads together to devise a plan by

which they might enjoy their favorite pastimes, and at the same time

secure a safe place of refuge where they could hide when the enemy

approached in numbers too strong for the three boys to resist.

After many conferences, and references to “Robinson Crusoe,” “Swiss

Family Robinson,” “The Coral Islands,” and other undoubted authorities,

they decided to build an underground house,[1] and armed with spades

and shovels, they immediately began work right in the heart of the

enemy’s country.

They worked, as only boys can when they think their work is fun, and

soon excavated a great hole in the river-bank. Not far off were the

remains of a flat-boat, and to the heavy pieces of timber the boys

harnessed themselves and hauled the lumber over the top of their cave

to serve for a roof.

With spade and shovel they carefully concealed the timber by a thick

layer of earth, leaving only a square hole with a trap-door as an

entrance and exit. The dirt was then smoothed down, and drift-wood,

dried weeds, and other rubbish scattered over in such a manner that no

one, without careful inspection, would suspect that the bank had been

tampered with.

But the enemy was alert, and spies had been stealthily watching the

work progress, and patiently waiting the completion of the secret

hiding-place. No sooner was the last handful of rubbish strewn over

the roof than, with wild yells and whoops of delight, the “River Rats”

charged upon the surprised workers.

“Big Red” Resmere in the lead, with “Squinty” Quinn and “Spotty,” the

freckled-face, close behind, while the rear was brought up with a

rabble of less noted characters, who more than made up for their own

lack of courage by their terror-inspiring yells. It was too formidable

a crowd for the three cave-diggers to parley with, so they ingloriously

fled up the bank, leaving the product of their hard work in the hands

of the despoilers.

The River Rats

used the cave as headquarters, and for a long time afterward would

suddenly sally forth from the concealment of the hole and surprise

and beat any strange lad who was incautious enough to venture in the

neighborhood unprotected by a company of friends. This adventure taught

us several things, and one night, at the “dark of the moon,” we met in

a smoke-house and formed ourselves into a secret society. Over a bottle

of strained honey we made solemn vows, and the secrets of the society

have never been divulged until now.

The name, the purpose, and the fact of there being any society were the

three great secrets. The name was “The Three Ancient Mariners.” The

object was to stand by each other to the crack of doom, and the seal,

3·A·M, was tattooed on each member’s good right arm.

The vows were religiously kept, and many a bruised face and discolored

eye proved our loyalty to each other, for the River Rats made constant

war upon us, and our peaceful plans for fun were often rudely upset by

the sudden appearance of a bright red head, followed by a freckled face

and a gang of retainers.

This persecution caused the production of

A Tree-top Retreat,

which, I believe, has never yet been discovered by the enemy, nor

any one else.[2] To reach our secret camp and club-house we had to

trudge along the dusty turnpike in the hot sun, with no shade but that

afforded by our wide-brimmed straw hats. After passing an old-fashioned

inn, with its swinging sign decorated with a picture of the battle of

Buena Vista, we cut cross-lots over the forts and rifle-pits on the

hill-side, built by the Union soldiers at the time of the Morgan raid.

At the end of the lowest rifle-pit we slid down the cut to the railroad

track, and followed it to the fence, with a hollow gate-post, where

the bluebirds always built their nests. Here we left the railway and

entered a cool belt of woods in which the dainty maidenhair-ferns grew

on the damp rotten logs and the gray squirrels scolded us from the

branches overhead. Following a private trail, we reached an immense

beech-tree which had grown around a shaggy-barked hickory in such a

manner that only the roots and branches of the hickory could be seen,

the whole trunk being embedded and concealed by the smooth bark of the

beech, giving it the novel appearance of a tree bearing two entirely

different kinds of nuts.

Under the spreading branches of this compound tree we generally rested

awhile and took a look about us, to be certain that the River Rats

were not on our trail; then diving into the hazel thicket, we emerged

on the banks of a tributary to the Licking River. A giant tulip-tree

stood on the bank of the creek, and a wild grape-vine, as thick as your

arm, dangled from the branches, which spread like an umbrella sixty or

seventy feet above us. The vine had been cut loose from its roots on

the shore, and its severed end hung over a deep, dark pool.

[Illustration: FIG. 1.--Beginning a Two-tree Foundation.]

The Secret Grape-Vine Route.

No boy, outside the members of the 3·A·M’s, would look twice at the

great snake-like vine hanging over the “lick,” and if he should, the

vine was far out of reach, and would be passed by as suggesting no

possibilities of fun.

Well, that is where he would make his mistake. Concealed in the

underwood back of the tulip-tree was a long pole with a hook on one

end, and by means of this implement we could grapple the grape-vine and

pull the end within reach of our hands, and then one of us at a time

would grasp the vine securely with both hands, and stepping back on the

bank, give a short run, spring out into mid-air and sail away across

the deep hole to drop with a thud upon the opposite bank.

Of course all this was unnecessary, for there were plenty of shallow

riffs near by where we could wade across; but no lad with any romance

in his soul would be guilty of such baby-work when he knew the secret

of the grape-vine route.

Once across we would peer carefully around in the most approved

Indian-scout fashion, and when satisfied the coast was clear we would

crouch down and make a wide detour that would bring us to a large

sycamore-tree, which had been uprooted by the wind and fallen so that

its top rested in the fork of a towering oak-tree. The spreading

roots of the fallen sycamore made a wall of clay fully fifteen feet

high, which, with the surrounding underbrush and foliage, effectually

concealed the fact that in the branches of the oak-tree rested a large

and strange nest--a nest built by wingless birds, for it was the

club-house of the Three Ancient Mariners! The leaning trunk of the

uprooted tree made a firm though slippery substitute for a ladder, and

here among the branches many a jolly day was passed, and many a meal of

fried fish, fresh from the neighboring “lick,” was devoured by three

happy, sunburned boys.

Dangerous Toughs.

Except in the neighborhood of large cities, there is nowadays not much

danger from gangs of brutal, half-grown boys, but in those times the

law seldom bothered any one.

However, even now, privacy and exemption from unwelcome interruption

are desirable, and this can be best secured by

A Club-House in the Tree-tops,

for when the ladder is pulled up no one, without the aid of “climbers,”

such as line-men use, can hope to gain access to the cosey little house

in the branches.

If you can find a tree with three or four strong spreading branches,

the problem of erecting a house is not a difficult one. If there are

four straight trees the proper distance apart, it is a comparatively

simple work to erect your house between their trunks, high enough to be

out of reach of River Rats; but trees, as a rule, do not regulate their

growth to suit any set of boys, and the boys must use their ingenuity

to adapt their houses to the forms and growth of the available trees.

[Illustration: Tree-top House. 6 × 10 feet, 35 feet from ground to

floor.]

First choose your location, and see that it is a desirable one to all

the club members; then, if there are any lofty trees at

The Desired Spot

you will certainly find an opportunity for a four-tree, three-tree,

two-tree, or one-tree house.

The tree or trees for the purpose must be so tall, that when the

bottom ladder is pulled up the house will be out of reach of unwelcome

callers, and big enough to prevent the wind from so swaying the house

as to give a feeling of insecurity.

A Two-Tree House.

Let us suppose that there are only two trees in the proper location

which fulfil the requirements, and that these are tall pines with no

branches of any importance below their feather-duster-like tops. This

presents one of the most difficult problems to solve; but when you

know how, you can erect a most enchanting “crow’s-nest” away up the

tall trunks, where the fresh breeze blows over the tops of the smaller

trees, and where a good view can be had of the surrounding country, and

the enemy, if there be one, may be seen while yet a long distance off,

giving ample time to the club members to pull up the ground ladder and

place themselves in position to laugh at the foe.

[Illustration: FIG. 2.--King Posts and Corbel.]

How To Start.

With an accomplished woodsman the whole edifice may be erected with the

use of no other tool than an axe; but, as a rule, the more tools you

have at your disposal the better you can do your work. If you possess

a tape-line, measure the distance with it between the two tree-trunks.

If you have no tape but have a two-foot ruler, make yourself a longer

measure by marking off the feet and half-feet upon a ten or twelve-foot

pole, and use it to measure between the trees. If, however, you have

neither, use your legs and pace the distance, and then cut two long,

strong poles, and see that they are long enough to span the distance

between the trees, leaving plenty of wood to project beyond each tree.

Flatten one side of each pole as shown in the diagram B, B, Fig. 1.

Next, select a sound log, a foot or so in diameter, quarter it, and

make four

A Blocks,

each about two feet long. See A, A, and A′, Fig. 1.

As it is best to have the bottom of your house level, you must manage

to nail the A blocks the same distance above the ground on each side

of each tree--that is, if the ground is level; if not, you must allow

for the slant of the earth. Spike the blocks securely to the trees with

six-inch nails, using about three nails to each block.

[Illustration: FIG. 3.--End View of Corbel Resting on B Sticks.]

The foundation of the house may be higher than your ladder will reach.

In this case cut two more poles and four more blocks, and at the point

where the top of your ladder reaches spike on the blocks, and then rest

The B Poles

on them on each side of the two trees, as in Fig. 1. Nail the B poles

securely to the tree, and with plank or half-round sticks floor the

space between the trees, and you will have a good landing below your

house (see Fig. 5) from which a ladder may be run to the proposed

foundation. After the upper rods have been nailed to the trees and a

ladder adjusted, and for security nailed fast to the tree and lower

platform, you are ready to begin the serious work of building. Take a

good strong plank, two inches thick, and cut two pieces about six feet

long, and shaped as shown by

The Corbel Piece D

in Fig. 2; then cut four struts (E, E, in Fig. 2) and two king-posts

(C, Fig. 2). Shave off the ends of the struts, as shown in the diagram,

to fit the notches cut in the corbel pieces and the king-posts.

[Illustration: FIG. 4.--Perspective View of Corbels Resting on B

Sticks.]

It is not necessary to spike this frame together--the big nails might

split the timber--they may be fastened together slightly with wire

nails and strengthened by a piece of hoop-iron nailed on with small

nails, as shown in Fig. 2 at F, F, F, F, and this will keep the

pieces from accidentally slipping out of their bearings, or holes may

be bored and the parts held together with screws. The real strain being

an up-and-down thrust on the notches, the weight will not bear upon the

iron bands or screws. Great care must be taken to make neat-fitting

joints.

[Illustration: FIG. 5.--A Two-Tree House.]

How to Build the Foundation.

When the two pieces of the form of Fig. 2 are completed, make fast a

line to them and haul them up the tree; then slip the ends of the rods

B and B under the corbels D, until the king-post C lies flat against

the side of the tree-trunk. Spike C securely to the tree-trunk, as

shown in Fig. 3; do the same with the other frame on the far side of

the other tree, and you have a firm foundation that will hold more

weight than you are liable to put upon it. Now cut two more pieces of

two-inch plank, say, ten feet long by four inches broad; hoist them up

and spike them to the top of the corbel pieces D, D, so that they will

project the same distance beyond the tree at each end, as in Fig. 4.

From G to G you may now lay the planks of your floor, if the distance

is short: if not, put two poles across each side of the trees and nail

them to the trunks, and two more across at each end of the pieces G, G,

and nail them to G and G, and then put your flooring on parallel to the

G planks.

Frame, Walls, and Roof.

The rest of the work is simple. To shed the rain your roof must incline

one way or the other--to the front, as in Fig. 5, or to the back, as

in the one-tree house, Fig. 6. Nail on an A block to each tree, and

give them the same incline; then place two poles for rafters on the

A blocks and nail them, each with a single nail, to the tree-trunk;

this will hold them in place until you cut four straight poles for the

uprights at the four corners of your house; set these up under the ends

of the rafters, and nail the rafter to them and to the trees; then

drive two or three nails, slantingly, in the foot of the upright to

secure them to the floor (toe-nail, Fig. 92, Chap. IX.). A cross-piece

on top of the front and rear completes the skeleton of your house,

which may be roofed and the sides covered with boards, or only the roof

made of boards with narrow strips over the cracks and the sides covered

with poles, by nailing the latter to the uprights as in Fig. 5. This

gives a fine rustic effect, but unless ceiled or boarded up on the

inside it will allow the wind and rain to beat through.

[Illustration: FIG. 6.--Frame of a One-Tree House.]

If the trees are further apart than desirable, the house can be

built between the trees, as in Fig. 5, but if the space is no more

than required, the house can be built so that the sides enclose the

tree-trunks, as the railing of the platform does in Fig. 5.

A Rustic House.

It is really not necessary to use any plank or boards except for the

roof and floor. A boy who can handle an axe and hatchet well can make

the frame, Fig. 2, from timber cut in the woods, but unless he is an

expert, or can get the services of an expert axeman, he had better use

plank as directed.

The One-Tree House

at first thought seems to be an even more serious problem than the

two-tree house, but a glance at Fig. 6 will show how it can be built

without much trouble.

First we nail the two A blocks on to the trunk, then the two B sticks.

After the two B sticks are placed upon the A blocks and nailed to the

tree, two more B poles must be laid over the first at right angles to

them, so as to enclose the tree-trunk within a square of B sticks.

Nail all four sticks securely to the tree. You will notice that in this

case many of the sticks are notched near the ends, as D is in Fig. 2,

and for a similar purpose, to receive and hold the ends of the struts,

which are nailed at their lower ends to the king-post (trunk of the

tree). It is unnecessary to notch or mar the trunk of the tree, for the

ends of the struts are cut on an angle to rest flat against the trunk

where they are nailed, and the nails will not injure the tree in the

least.

Fig. 6 shows the roof boards laid clinker, or lap-streak fashion, from

side to side. Where a roof is laid in this manner it is not necessary

or desirable to nail strips over the cracks, as these are fully

protected by the overlapping boards.

Wherever it seems necessary to add to the stability of the foundation

of any of the club-houses described, it can be done by struts from the

tree-trunk to the ends of the B sticks or other poles supporting the

structure.

[Illustration: FIG. 7.--Three-Tree House.]

Figs. 7 and 8 show, respectively,

A Three- and Four-Tree Foundation,

equally applicable to a three or four branch foundation. It is, of

course, impossible for the writer to give exact figures and iron-clad

rules for this style of building, owing to the variable nature and

growth of the trees, but the most difficult problems are here solved,

and any other combination of trees or branches will be found to be only

variations of the ones here illustrated and described.

[Illustration: FIG. 8.--Four-Tree House.]

As I remember our little house in the Kentucky oak-tree, it must have

been but a rude affair, yet it was dearer to the hearts of the 3·A·M’s

than a house and lot on Fifth Avenue would be now to the only living

member of the club formed over thirty years ago.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Chapter VIII. of this book tells how to build an underground

club-house.

[2] Since the above was written the writer visited the place, found the

woods gone and trolley cars running by the old camp.

CHAPTER II.

HUNTING WITHOUT A GUN.

How to Capture and Trap Small Live Animals.

A boy who can spend part of his time out of town, and is the fortunate

owner of a mongrel cur, forms a combination for enjoyment and fun hard

to be beaten by anything in nature. A good yellow dog, unencumbered

by any aristocratic ancestors, is an ideal companion in the wood, and

field: it can scent a woodchuck leagues away, it knows just how to head

a chipmonk off from its retreat, and there is not a trick known to the

professional poacher which is not familiar to the real country plebeian

cur.

Chipmonks and Woodchucks!

There is a potent charm in those words, which can iron the wrinkles out

of an old brow, and soften the hard lines in the face of a careworn

professional or business man.

Not long ago I attended a dinner given by the

Camp-Fire Club,

and there I found ranged around the table an array of veteran hunters.

There were men there who had hunted the royal Bengal tiger in the

jungles of India, men who had fought with rogue elephants, men who had

followed the lions to their dens in Africa, men who had tracked the

white bear to its lair in the far frozen North. There were gentlemen

who hunted for pleasure, cowboys and scouts--Coquina Shields, “Wolf”

Thompson, “Curio” Brown, “Yellowstone” Kelly, Andrew J. Stone, and many

others equally well-known in the forests or on the plains were seated

at the big round table.[3]

That they were real simon-pure sportsmen could be seen at a glance, and

yet, when the after-dinner speeches were made, the sentiments which

received the most enthusiastic applause were those which DENOUNCED THE

KILLING OF MAN OR BEAST. It could readily be seen that these men only

used the gun when it was necessary to procure food or in self-defence.

They all indorsed the use of the camera for the hunt in place of the

murderous gun; as one of them remarked, “With a kodak every good shot

is registered with the click of the shutter, and an album of good shots

is a thing of which any man may be proud.”

With a little private zoo of captured live game you may have a living

album, which attests the skill of the collector and his knowledge of

woodcraft as accurately as any album of photographs.

The next chapter tells how to build a back-yard zoo, and now we must

learn how to stock one. If the reader will examine the plans in the

chapter mentioned, he will see that there is one compartment marked

[Illustration: Making a Capture.]

“Receiving-Cage.”

This is the place where our new captures find temporary shelter until

their regular quarters are prepared for them.

The most accessible game for boys belongs to the

Rodents or Gnawers.

These animals can be readily distinguished by their long, chisel-like

front teeth. A familiar example of this family may be found in every

town and city, and is known as the common rat, the Norway rat, or the

brown rat.

Formerly the common rat of the United States was black, but his brown

relative has about exterminated the more graceful black one. The only

black rat I ever saw was a dead one, which I found one summer in an

unoccupied house in the mountains of Pennsylvania. But there are plenty

of beautiful little gnawers around us everywhere. There are the soft,

furry, big-eyed flying-squirrels, which leave their warm nests at dusk

and sail through the air from tree to tree, or romp among the branches

until daylight. Just at dawn they return to their beds, to sleep away

the day in their dark holes, secure from the garish sunlight.

Of course any boy with money can purchase flying-squirrels, but no

boy with any pride would stoop to buy his live game, unless he is so

unfortunate as to be unable to leave the densely populated city. I

well remember the two boys[4] who gave me my first lessons in hunting

flying-squirrels. I followed them across meadows, over hills, through

the woods, down into the dank and dark swamps, until we found some old

hollow cedars on the edge of the water. Here one of the lads armed

himself with a small wand, and the other busied himself gathering old

dry leaves and bits of moist bark to make a smudge. The boy armed with

the wand probed the hollow trees until he discovered a hole from which

the wand would bring forth some bits of the fine shredded inner bark of

the cedar. We all know that neither the inner bark nor any other kind

of bark grows in the hollow of trees, and when it is discovered there

you can wager that it was put there by some animal.

[Illustration: FIGS. 9-11.]

This stringy, soft stuff is famous material for a nest, and both the

white-footed mice and the flying-squirrels are fully aware of its good

properties.

When some of this nesting is found in a tree, it is safe to say that

there is a nest inside.

A Smudge

is now lighted and the hollow tree is filled with smoke. As soon as

this is thoroughly done, you may safely thrust your arm into the hollow

and bring out the stupefied inmates.

I never knew the smoke to cause the squirrels any serious harm. The

little captives soon revive, when brought out into the open air.

Flying-Squirrels,

when tame, make the most gentle pets, but when wild, and rudely seized

by hand, they have a vicious way of using their chisel-like teeth which

induces more caution the next time. A smoke-stupefied squirrel is much

more pleasant to handle than a wild one, frantic with fright.

If, however, you protect your hand with an ordinary bicycle or golf

cap, you can seize almost any small animal with impunity. I caught nine

flying-squirrels in one night, with no protection for my hand but an

old cloth cap.

Do not try to throw the cap over the animal, or it will escape from

beneath, but use the cap as a protection to your hand, then grasp the

creature by a quick movement, closing your fingers tightly over its

body, being careful not to squeeze hard enough to injure the terrified

little squirrel. The advantage of this mode of capture is that, having

the game in your hand, you can easily thrust it into the cloth bag you

carry for that purpose.

The Cloth Bag

is a most convenient thing; it is easy to carry, allows plenty of air,

and the little creatures never think of gnawing out while you carry

them.

I have carried

Short-Tailed Meadow-Rats

and white-footed mice for miles, tied up in my handkerchief, and no

attempt was made by my prisoners to use their teeth to assist them in

escaping.

The gentle, graceful little jumping-mice, white-footed mice,

short-tailed meadow-rats, and flying squirrels are all to be found

inside the city limits of Greater New York, and some of their relatives

are to be found in almost any rural place in this country. These

interesting little creatures can be captured with ordinary box-traps,

figure fours, or the square or round wire mouse-traps. The white-footed

mice or deer-mice may be found in the abandoned nests of other rodents,

in hollow logs, in old corn-stacks, in holes in the fence-rails, and

under clods of old ploughed fields, or beneath brush-heaps in the fence

corners.

In the late autumn, before the first snow comes, they have a very

pretty way of

Utilizing Last Summer’s Birds’-Nests

by filling them with the soft down from the cat-tails of a neighboring

marsh, or with moss and wood fibres, thistledown, or the silky feathers

from the seed of the milk-weed. Like flying-squirrels, the little

deer-mice bury themselves in the soft nests, and sleep away the day,

emerging at night for food and exercise.

[Illustration: FIG. 12.]

If the branch upon which the nest is located is but touched, the

brown-backed, nimble-footed little squatter will poke his head from the

middle of the nest, look inquiringly around, and if no danger appears

the head is withdrawn, and the mouse resumes its slumbers; but if it

is deemed that there is cause for serious alarm, it will spring from

the nest, and with the agility of a squirrel run lightly up a branch,

and from this point of vantage turn its bright eyes on the intruder

with a sort of “please don’t” expression. If further frightened it will

hastily leap to the ground and disappear in the brush and dry leaves.

Sometimes I have found birds’-nests with a neatly laid thatch roof over

the bowl, and a round doorway gnawed through the side of the nest for a

means of access to the interior, where, snugly curled up in a warm bed

of down, the little white-footed mouse was sleeping.

White-Footed Mice as Pets.

Once, while skating on a pond, I discovered a pair of deer-mice keeping

house in the walls of the mound of mud and roots reared by musk-rats

for their winter quarters.

[Illustration: FIG. 12A.--The Old Figure-Four Trap.--Any old box will

do for a figure-four trap; but much trouble is avoided by using a box

with a large lid for live game, as shown in Fig. 12. This is set upside

down, as shown above. The lid is considerably larger than the box, and

attached to it by a couple of leather hinges which are tacked to the

lid and the box, as shown in the illustration. Fig. 9 is the spindle

or trigger, and shows the manner in which the notches are cut. Fig.

10 is the catch, and Fig. 11 is the upright. In Fig. 12A you see this

old-fashioned trap, set and ready for business. A small door in the box

will make it easy to remove captives.]

You may capture these little fellows by hand, if you use due caution

in approaching their habitation, and shield your hand with an ordinary

pocket-handkerchief.

They will make beautiful pets, and you will find them much more

interesting than the common white mice.

Give them a tall narrow cage, with plenty of head room, wire a branch

containing a last summer’s bird’s-nest to the side of their cage for

sleeping quarters, and feed the mice with bread, seed, and grain.

Short-tailed Meadow-Rats

frequent the salt meadows, where their grass-roofed paths may be found

intersecting each other everywhere. After the blunt-headed little

creatures have been discovered, by uncovering their runways, you may

capture them with your hand, shielded by a cloth cap.

Beware of their teeth, for they are savage biters and plucky fighters.

Meadow-rats are not climbers. Put them in a flat cage with a good wide

expanse of bottom covered with sod of growing grass, the roots of which

they will eagerly devour. Feed them garden vegetables, when grass roots

are not available.

If you are an expert it is sometimes possible to catch chipmonks by

hand. I never succeeded but once in capturing one in this manner. They

will enter almost any ordinary sort of a trap, and can be best captured

in that way. Set the trap near the hole known to be occupied by one of

these scolding little rodents, and give your captives a roomy cage,

with a dark corner for a nest. They make gentle and amusing pets. Feed

them on acorns and nuts. Crack the hardest nuts for them.

Jumping-mice,

when discovered, are off like a flash, and are too swift of foot to

be captured by hand--at least this has been my experience. They may

sometimes be found under clods of an old ploughed field, in fence

corners, or under loose brush and stones. Like the white-footed mice

and flying-squirrels, they are nocturnal in their habits, and there may

be thousands living all around you, and you will never suspect their

presence until your cat brings one in from the field, or you find their

half-devoured remains in the screech-owl’s nest in the old apple-tree.

Jumping-mice have been known to make their nests in a beehive, and I

know of one short-tailed meadow-rat which chose the same sort of sweet

home.

In winter the jumping-mouse becomes torpid and apparently dead, and you

may lay him away in a box of cotton, where it will remain until the

bursting bud and freshening grass announce the approach of spring. Then

your little pet will wake up, and be as full of life as if it had only

taken a noon nap.

Although quite vicious, and dangerous to handle in their wild state,

Woodchucks

make very gentle and comical pets. One celebrated woodchuck-hunter had

great success by using a stuffed woodchuck as a decoy. A very good

substitute for a stuffed animal may be made of gray Canton flannel,

stuffed with cotton.

Set your decoy up in plain view of the woodchuck’s hole, and sprinkle

fresh clover around. Then conceal yourself behind the hole, and be

ready with a strong ring-net on a pole to capture your game when it

appears.

The watchful old fellow will see the decoy sitting on its haunches, and

reasoning that where it is safe for one “chuck” it is safe for another,

he will sally forth to enjoy the clover. Then the fun begins. You must

jump between the woodchuck and his hole, and net him as best you can,

after which transfer him to a meal-bag, and carry him to his cage.

[Illustration: FIG. 13.--The Wooden Box-Trap.--Dotted lines show

arrangement inside. A is the trigger, or spindle, which passes through

a hole in the rear end of the box. B is the catch with a ring slipped

over its middle, to which a string is attached to hold open the

trap-door when the trap is set. There is a notch in the back board of

the trap at C, and another near the rear end of the trigger, in which

the bevelled edges of the catch are caught and held in place by the

string attached to the trap-door. Fig. 13-1/2 shows the details of

Fig. 13. The box-trap is an old “stand-by” with the boys, is simple in

construction, and can be made by any lad who can handle tools. This

drawing was made from a trap built by a country lad, twelve years of

age. A serviceable trap can be improvised from an old tin can, or,

better still, one of those square tin boxes used so generally now for

holding fancy groceries.]

Woodchucks can run rapidly for eight or ten yards; then they have a

habit of suddenly coming to a stop, assuming their favorite upright

pose, and darting off again in another direction.

[Illustration: The Tin Can-Trap.--Make a door of a square or

rectangular piece of tin. With a nail make two holes in the top of the

door for the wire hinges (Fig. 14). With a heavy knife cut a doorway a

trifle smaller than the door. Cut three slashes as shown in Fig. 15.

Bend the two sides in as shown in Fig. 16, then hang the door with the

wire hinges. Fig. 17 shows the door from the inside of the tin box, and

Fig. 18 shows the same from the outside. The door, as may be readily

seen, can be pushed up from the outside to admit the game, but when the

prisoners attempt to get out they cannot push the door open, for the

trap opens but one way. Do not leave space enough below the side-pieces

for the animal to thrust his nose or paws under, or it may lift the

door in this way and escape. If, as in the diagrams, it is necessary

to cut a little above the bottom of the box, put a flat stone, or some

similar object, inside for the side-pieces and the door to rest upon.

Fig. 19 shows the manner of cutting the tin. Another door can be made

by cutting a star in the tin, and then bending the pointed pieces in

far enough to allow the game to squeeze through. The points will not

allow anything to crawl out, however, and it must remain there until

released (Fig. 20). These diagrams are given so that the young hunters

may make their own traps, in case the ordinary mice and rat-traps to be

found in shops are inaccessible.]

June is the time to capture the young ones, as they play about their

home hole.

A Box-Trap, or Figure Four,

may be successfully used to capture both young and old.

However fierce an old wild “ground-hog” may be, one that is taken young

and reared in captivity is remarkably gentle. It is fond of a noonday

nap, but when the sun sinks in the west, and the long shadows creep

across the fields, it will rouse from its slumber, sit up, wash its

face like a mouse or a squirrel, and be ready for a frolic.

[Illustration: FIG. 19.--How the Tin is Cut.]

When cold weather approaches, the woodchuck, ground-hog, marmot, or

_siffleur_, as it is variously called, will prepare for a long winter

sleep by rolling itself into a ball. In this condition you may pack it

away like the jumping-mouse, and when friends call you can take the

ground-hog out and even roll it around the floor without seeing any

signs of life displayed by the hairy ball. But when spring returns,

your Rip Van Winkle pet will awaken, and after sitting up on its

haunches, and washing its face with its front paws, will be ready for a

breakfast of clover or other food.

Rare old Captain John Smith, in his quaint “History of New England and

the Summer Isles,” published in London in 1624, gives, probably, the

first written account of the musk-rat. He says that “the mussascus is

a beast of the form and nature of our (English) water-rat;” and he

adds, “some of them smell exceedingly strong of musk.” These animals

may be caught in almost any sort of a trap baited with sweet apples or

parsnips.

Musk-Rats

have very strong teeth, and can use them on wood effectively, so it

is wise to protect all corners and cracks in your wooden traps with

pieces of tin or sheet-iron. They have good noses, and can smell an

apple a long distance off. Place your traps in the shallow water at the

edge of the mill-pond or stream inhabited by these rats, and they will

doubtless find it without difficulty.

Young musk-rats are very gentle and playful, and may be handled without

fear; they do not grow fierce with age if reared in captivity and

accustomed to gentle treatment.

[Illustration: FIG. 20.--The Tin Box-Trap.]

When kept in confinement give them a roomy cage, with a tank of water

to swim in. Build the tank after the manner of the one described in the

“Back-yard Fish-Pond.”

There is one other little animal, familiar to most boys, and which

they are too apt to value only for its skin. In truth, this creature

generally has a very bad name, and, personally, I owe it a grudge for

stealing all my live bait, on more than one occasion.

Nevertheless, when domesticated and supplied with plenty of food, like

many a poor two-legged wretch, it will turn honest, and give up its

bad habit of robbing hen-roosts. This long-bodied little animal is the

mink, which, like those animals already described, is not difficult to

capture in almost any sort of a trap.

When caught young it becomes very gentle, and even affectionate. It is

passionately fond of frogs, and these batrachians make a good bait for

mink-traps. Minks will eat fish and when domesticated will not hurt

your chickens, but will wage a relentless war upon rats and mice.

You need not confine your mink, for it will make chums of your dog and

cat, and is fond of a cosey spot in the chimney corner.

[Illustration: FIG. 21.--Turtle-Trap.--This is simply a box with a

door, like Fig. 10. The trap is set in shallow water, and baited with

meat. It is very effective.]

While I was sketching on the coast of Maine I spent a whole day at my

easel, between two great rocks. I soon discovered that I was watched by

some creatures, and it was not long before my neighbors made up their

minds that the two-legged thing was a harmless sort of animal, and,

before I finished my sketch, they amused themselves by jumping back and

forth over my feet. At first I was more afraid of them than they were

of me, but soon discovered that they meant no harm: so I painted away,

with a pair of wild mink playing about my feet like tame kittens.

FOOTNOTES:

[3] G. O. Shields, President of the League of American Sportsmen,

editor of _Recreation_.

Ernest Seton-Thompson, naturalist to the Government of Manitoba, author

of “Wild Animals I Have Known.”

Capt. Luther S. Kelly, veteran of the War of ’61 and Spanish War,

Indian fighter, one of General Custer’s scouts and hunters.

William Harvey Brown, African traveller, hunter and collector for the

United States Museum, author of “On the South African Frontier.”

A. J. Stone, field naturalist, arctic explorer, hero of a 3,000-mile

sledge journey, discoverer of several American mammals new to science.

[4] Charles Dana Gibson, the artist, and his brother, Langdon Gibson,

naturalist and traveller.

CHAPTER III.

THE BACK-YARD ZOO.

The king of beasts and the royal Bengal tiger are neither of them able

to inspire such universal terror among the wild creatures of the forest

as does man.

Bitter experience and terrible examples of man’s ferocious cruelty to

all wild animals have taught even the most humble and inoffensive of

them to dread the approach of the bloodthirsty two-legged destroyer.

It is high time that we redeem

Our Reputation among the Brutes.

It is time we ceased our wasteful, senseless slaughter of every wild

thing to be met with in field and forest. It is time we began to study

live animals, in place of uncanny dried skins and badly upholstered

“specimens,” so-called.

This Gory Method of Study

belongs to the past. A new era has commenced, and real naturalists now

drop their dry bones and moth-eaten skins to enjoy the study of live,

healthy animals.

The boy who is really fond of animals never ill-treats his pets, or

abuses and makes a slave of his dog. On the contrary, his dog is his

companion and playmate.

The boy knows that a dog’s master is a god in the eyes of the poor

brute, and is

Worshipped with Canine Devotion,

which again and again has been proved faithful unto death. Such

knowledge makes the boy just and kind. But a dog is only a domesticated

wolf, and the wolf is not the only wild creature which can be

domesticated; neither is the wolf the only animal which

Can Appreciate Kindness.

The same care which transforms a red-mouthed wolf into a faithful dog

can transform other undomesticated beasts into useful creatures. As

soon as an animal learns that you are contributing to its comfort, you

may notice it will greet you with a milder expression. As soon as you

can make the wildest and fiercest beast understand that the use of

jaws, claws, or sting is unnecessary, it will refrain from using them.

It is not always possible to come to this understanding with the larger

beasts, and such animals are not fitted for back-yard zoos.

A lad who loves his pets will bestow upon the little creatures that

affection which shows itself in a sympathy which can understand their

wants and necessities. Such a lad can perform wonders; birds will come

at his call, the small beasts of the field will follow at his heels,

and no child will fear him.

[Illustration: Visiting the Animals.]

Unfortunately, in spite of the amount of land on this continent, it is

difficult for any but the very wealthy to have access to much of it,

hence many readers will say, “We have no yard in which to keep pets,”

or, “Our yard is too small.” Of course, if you are living in a flat

you must go without a zoo, but if you have a yard it will probably

not be less than twenty-five feet wide, and Fig. 22 shows how a very

comprehensive zoo can be placed in the rear of a twenty-five foot

lot, without materially interfering with such domestic matters as the

drying of clothes on wash-day. A city

[Illustration: FIG. 22.--Arrangement of Dens in the Back-yard.]

Lot Twenty-five Feet Wide

is usually one hundred feet deep; this will allow plenty of room for

the house and the clothes-lines, and still leave the end of the lot for

a famous back-yard zoölogical garden.

When the writer was building back-yard zoos on the banks of the muddy

Licking River, in old Kentucky, wire-cloth and wire-netting were

unknown, and a few old barrels and dry-goods boxes, a saw, hatchet, and

some nails, constituted the materials and tools with which he and his

playmates made cages for pets, frog-ponds, and dove-cots.

The writer’s

Crow and Dog did the Bossing

of the work, and incidentally learned all the weak spots in the

structures, a knowledge which they were not slow to use when the sheds

and coops were finished, and occupied by creatures fascinatingly

interesting to crows and dogs.

But you boys are lucky fellows! Everything that youth wants is now on

the market at reasonable prices. Wire-cloth and galvanized wire-netting

with double-twisted selvages, with meshes of any size to suit the

occasion, and wire of any dimensions to suit the purpose, are now

manufactured especially for the building of cages.

Galvanized Iron Wire-Cloth or Netting

comes in rolls, with either square or hexagonal mesh; in other words,

the openings between the wires are in the form of a square, or are

six-sided.

[Illustration: FIG. 23.--Temporary Frame of Cage.]

Wire is numbered from the very heavy, No. 000, which is over a third

of an inch in diameter, to No. 40, which is only .00725 of an inch

in diameter. It is not very likely that you will use either of these

wires, unless your collection includes some very large and strong

beasts and some very small insects. The wires which you will probably

need will be between No. 14 and No. 22. No. 14 is eighth-tenths of an

inch in diameter, and No. 22 is a little more than two-tenths of an

inch in diameter.

The Mesh

is the distance from _centre to centre_ of the wire. No. 5 mesh means

five meshes to the lineal inch--that is, a piece of netting five inches

long will contain twenty-five meshes. The “space” means the opening

between the wires--that is, the distance from _wire to wire_.

This is explained because some of the readers may not live near any

dealer in wire-goods, and will be compelled to order what they want

by letter. To do this intelligently they should understand the trade

terms. Galvanized wire-netting, used for small bird-cages, comes in

one-half, five-eighth and three-quarter-inch mesh, and is made of from

No. 18 to No. 22 wire. The width of this netting varies from two feet

to four feet. One-and-one-quarter-inch mesh is used for pigeon-houses,

and the netting is from two feet to six feet wide. One-inch mesh is

used for quail, ruffed grouse, pheasants, prairie-chickens, etc. A

two-inch mesh is usually used for chicken-coops.

[Illustration: FIGS. 24 and 25.]

As a rule, the mesh which has square spaces is called wire-cloth, and

that which has six-sided spaces is called netting. For mice, rats,

chipmonks, flying-squirrels, gray and red squirrels, use about No.

2-1/2 square mesh of No. 17 galvanized wire.

For woodchucks and musk-rats use a rather small mesh and pretty heavy

wire, for their teeth are strong chisels, and you will be surprised

to see what skilled mechanics they are in the use of the tools with

which nature has supplied them. For rabbits, a two-inch mesh or any

of the nettings used for poultry answers all purposes; but for foxes,

if you use a two-inch mesh, be careful to have it of heavy wire. The

writer’s Skye terrier pup gnawed its way through the chicken-coop

wire-netting on various occasions, and a fox has all the energy of a

terrier, coupled with a most surprising amount of ingenuity and skill

in jail-breaking.

A Pair of Foxes

I once owned could undo any knot or catch that I could invent with

which to fasten them, and I was only made aware of the fact from the

complaints of lost chickens which came from our neighbors.

While the neighbors were protesting, Faust and Mrs. Faust lay in front

of their den, staring innocently at us with their great brown eyes,

but investigation proved that the chains which apparently confined

them were attached to nothing but their collars; and, furthermore,

when I pushed the foxes aside with my foot, sundry quills and

feathers, protruding from the fresh earth of their bed, showed only

too plainly that our neighbors were not without reason in suspecting

my innocent-looking rascally pets. I at last solved the problem by

chaining the foxes together, and in spite of all their cunning, they

never learned to go through the same opening in the fence, but each

chose a different exit, and both were then held by their chain.

Each Cage

the reader makes will, of necessity, be of a form peculiar to

his purpose and the location where it is placed. If it is for a

fence-corner there will be but two sides to cover with wire-netting;

if it be against the fence there will be three sides of netting: the

fence forming the other side. In a hundred different ways will the

surroundings modify the form of the cages, so, to simplify matters, we

will suppose the proposed pen is to stand in the centre of the yard. In

this case,

To Make a Cage of Galvanized Wire-Netting,

you first decide upon the wire and the mesh which are needed for this

particular coop, next decide what are to be the dimensions; then, with

a hand-saw, cut four wooden uprights exactly the same length, and

fasten these posts together, temporarily, as shown in Fig. 23, A, B, C,

D.

[Illustration: FIG. 26.--Cages and Runway.]

The strips connecting the uprights, and forming a box-like frame,

should be only secure enough to keep the frame in shape. The nails in

the strips must be driven just far enough to hold, leaving the head and

enough of each nail above-board to render it a simple task to withdraw

the nails when you wish to remove the strips.

When the temporary frame or mould is finished (Fig. 23), fasten the end

of the wire-netting securely to the front of the upright A with staple

tacks, then pass the roll to B (Fig. 24), draw it tight, and with more

staple tacks secure it to this upright; continue the same process at C

and D, ending at A, as shown in Fig. 24. The arrows show the direction

to be observed in passing the netting around the uprights.

When all is snug and fastened firmly, nail a footboard and top moulding

on, as shown in Fig. 25, after which remove the temporary inside

strips, and your coop is done. It has no roof or floor as yet, but the

roof can be made of wood or netting, as the occasion may require; the

floor may be of wood or earth, to suit the purposes for which it is to

be used. In large cages the doors must be framed and set in, as shown

in the picture of fox-dens in the illustration of the back-yard zoo,

but in small cages a small hole may be cut in the netting--this can be

done with an old pair of shears. The square piece of netting from the

cut can then be used as a door by fastening one edge with loops of wire

to the edge of the opening just made. Picture-wire and copper wire are

best for such purpose, because they are pliable and easily handled.

The Door

can, if desired, be made very neat by the following method: Cut some

tin into strips of the proper dimensions, then fold the strips on their

centre, lengthwise. Punch a series of holes by placing the folded

strips of tin on a block of wood and driving a nail through. Slip the

folded tin over the exposed edges of the wire-netting, and sew it in

place by threading a fine wire through the holes. Bind the edges of

the door in the same manner, then put a loop of wire on the door for a

hasp, and a smaller one on the cage near the edge of the doorway for a

staple, and the door may be fastened with a peg of wood or a nail; or,

better still, wire a hook on the door in place of a hasp, and arrange

it so as to hook into the loop on the cage.

It is often handy to have doors in the roof of a cage, as in the roofs

of the gnawers’ cages, over the rabbit runway, in the illustration.

The Doors for the Runway

to the rabbit-house are on top, and open like a door to a bin, as shown

in the illustration and in Fig. 26. While we are at the rodents’, or

gnawers’, quarters, it is well to remember certain peculiarities about

the habits of these animals. Rats, mice, squirrels, and their kind,

will invariably seek a crack, angle or corner to commence work for a

hole; knowing this, it is well to protect all such places by pieces

of metal or tin, and none of the little fellows will make his escape,

unless the door is left open.

Rabbits will seldom gnaw out, but if they have an opportunity they will

tunnel out.

To prevent diggers from escaping, allow your wire-netting to extend a

foot and a half underground, below the footboard.

A Reptile House

need not be more than three feet high. It is not shown in the

illustration, but may be built as described and shown in Figs. 23, 24,

and 25, after which a roof of wire-cloth must be added.

Into this house you put your turtles, frogs, toads, lizards, and

snakes, and as most, if not all, of these require water in considerable

quantity, it is well to have a tank for their use. But as every boy

does not know how to build the tank, he may learn by following the

directions in the following chapter, describing a back-yard fish-pond.

Be careful to set the tank level and pack it around with good hard

earth. It is well to sod the ground on three sides, and cover the earth

on the remaining side with clean sand and gravel.

There should be a strip of land at least two feet wide all around the

tank, as a runway. When this is all arranged spread a layer of sand all

over the bottom of the tank, fill it with water, and place the cage

over all. You should have

An Old Piece of Canvas,

or some similar covering, for the cage, to be used when your sand is in

danger of being washed away by a downpour of rain.

Everything is now ready, and you can turn loose in the enclosure

Your Whole Collection

of frogs, toads, lizards, and snakes, and they will soon make

themselves at home. You must not be surprised if your pets in this cage

feed upon one another. I once owned an old bull-frog who would attempt

to swallow anything that moved, with the exception of snakes. This frog

swallowed two live mice in one day, but he did not get hungry again for

two weeks.[5]

There are but few poisonous snakes in our country, and in the Northern

States we have but two kinds--copperheads and rattlesnakes. Neither of

these will add to the interest of your collection, and must be left out

and let alone.[6]

There are many beautiful and harmless little snakes to be found in

every field. They abound within the city limits of New York.[7] I saw

two sunning themselves on a neighbor’s lawn, and discovered their home

in the gate-post.

You will be surprised at the many varieties of frogs you can find when

you start to collect these comical little creatures. Some of them

are very difficult to catch, and they often turn up in the oddest of

places. I found a big toad in the top of a tree which I had climbed

after young crows. It was a common hop-toad, not a tree-frog.

Silly Superstitions of Hoop-Snake Age.

It is high time that the American boys, in the dawn of the twentieth

century, should forget all the fabulous stories of snakes with the

power to “charm” persons, toads with death-dealing breath, deadly

swifts and venomous lizards. All such yarns are handed down to us by

our superstitious ancestors, and are a part of the witch belief of the

old Salem folk. There are people living now who will tell you that they

have seen a hoop-snake with his tail in his mouth, rolling down hill,

and these people really believe what they say; but so did the Salem

folks believe in witches.

[Illustration: Chipmonk. White-footed Mouse. Short-tail Meadow-Rat.]

Toads: Useful and Harmless.

If our comical, insect-destroying toads were venomous, the hand which

pens these lines would have perished while it was still a chubby,

dimpled, baby’s hand.

Neither Do Toads Make Warts;

otherwise the writer’s hands would be far too warty to wield either a

pen or a brush; but in spite of the hundreds of toads handled by the

writer he never was afflicted with warts on either hands or body.

In Pennsylvania there is a toad which has occupied the same

back-dooryard for over ten years, and he will eat his own weight in

“bugs” in a very short time.

The funniest toad ever owned by the writer was a Kentucky hop-toad with

five well-developed legs, and the largest frog the writer ever caught

was a New York bull-frog, which weighed one pound.

Frog Market.

St. Paul and Minneapolis are the great frog markets of the world. The

receipts there last year, according to the daily papers, were something

over six million frogs!

In the neighborhood of New York City one of the earliest frogs is the

little brown cricket-frog. Next come the mysterious and shrill-voiced

peepers, which make each marshy spot fairly shriek with their

high-keyed notes.

Peepers

are hard to capture, because you can seldom see them. A dip-net run

through the water where you have heard peepers will generally reward

you with two or three little dusky imps, who, when captured, will sing

in your coat-pocket, and the writer has had them sing while imprisoned

in his hands.

A loud, coarse trill announces the appearance of

The Tree-Toad,

and this batrachian makes a most interesting addition to the

collection. It is said that the tree-toad has the power of changing

color, varying from ash-white, dull-gray or a brown to a bright-green

hue.

You must look for the hermit-frogs or spade-frogs where they hide

in holes in the ground, and in the damp wood you can hunt the

lean-flanked, beautifully-spotted leopard-frog, his cousin, the

pickerel-frog, and the brown wood-frog.

The bright-green-tree specimen, known as

The Anderson Frog,

is considered by frog-hunters as a great prize, and specimens can only

be captured at rare intervals. When you secure a rare frog do not put

him in the same place with larger frogs, for the latter will swallow

their smaller companions the first time they feel hungry.

The Frog Has Teeth.

Put your finger in a frog’s mouth and you can distinctly feel a number

of fine, sharp teeth, but if you put your finger in a toad’s mouth you

will find no teeth; a frog grabs his prey with his jaws, a toad snips

it up with his tongue.

Besides the common, funny old hop-toad, there are the Rocky Mountain

hop-toads, the Southern hop-toads, and the hop-toads from Northeastern

Massachusetts, which differ sufficiently from the common hop-toad to be

classed by naturalists as sub-species.

Lizards.

With the exception of the Gila Monster _there are no poisonous lizards

known_, and although many of the little creatures will try to bite

you, their teeth are as harmless as so many needle points, and cannot

be felt through a glove. Put on an old glove when handling them and you

can hold them better; but be very careful and not be rude, or you may

be surprised to find you have a stump-tailed lizard in your hand while

the caudal appendage will be twisting around in a most astonishing

manner at your feet.

Many beautiful and interesting lizards may be captured in all parts of

the Union.

That it is not cruel to capture and confine wild animals is proved

by the fact that almost all wild creatures, after they have become

thoroughly familiar with their quarters, will not voluntarily leave

their artificial homes for any protracted period. I have had wild

pigeons return after giving them their freedom, and have had foxes

return after securing their own freedom, by skill and cunning superior

to that exercised by me in confining them. As for crows, coons,

squirrels, and numerous other creatures possessed by me at different

times, only death or forcible detention ever prevented them from

returning to the place where plenty of food and kindness awaited them.

It is not necessary, or even desirable, to build all your cages at one

time, for it is hardly possible that you will know just what you need

until you have secured the creatures you wish to keep confined in the

proposed pens and enclosures.

The Receiving-Cage.

Allow your cages to grow naturally, by adding additions or new ones

as the occasion requires. Acting upon this plan the receiving-cage

will be the first to be erected, and it should be strong enough to

securely confine the largest of your captives, while the mesh of the

wire-cloth should be fine enough to prevent the escape of the smallest

pocket-mouse. The angles and corners should be well protected with

metal, to resist the teeth of the gnawers, and the bottom protected

with wire-cloth, to defeat the attempts of the diggers.

This cage will, at different times, furnish lodging for all the

varieties of beasts or birds which are from time to time included in

your ever-growing collection. Your new animals are first put in the

receiving-cage, and must live there until suitable quarters are built

for them.

The Value of Room.

Build all your cages as roomy as your available space and material will

allow, and study to make their interiors as like the natural haunts

of the imprisoned animals as is practicable. Avoid all attempts at

ornamenting the cages, for no cage looks better and more artistic than

the strictly practical one, built solely with a view to usefulness.

Clean sand will be found very useful for spreading over the floors of

the wooden-bottomed cages, and a large box of it, kept in a dry place,

will add greatly to your ability to keep things tidy.

Be particular about the nesting of your mice and squirrels; frequently

remove the old nests and burn them, at the same time supplying the

little creatures with a fresh lot of clean cotton, wool, fine grass, or

even paper, and they will arrange a new bed for themselves out of the

fresh material.

You will soon discover that all beasts prefer to keep clean, and have

methods of their own by which they endeavor to keep themselves neat and

presentable, without the use of soap. Any disagreeable odor proceeding

from their cages simply means neglect on the part of the keeper of the

zoo.

FOOTNOTES:

[5] An account of this frog is in “The American Boy’s Handy Book.”

[6] The South has also the venomous water-moccasin or cotton-mouth, and

the poisonous but timid coral and harlequin-snakes.

[7] Snakes in neighborhood of New York: Dangerous--Banded rattlesnake,

copperhead. Harmless, can be domesticated--Black-snake, worm-snake,

ringnecked-snake, black pilot-snake, green-snake, water-snake,

brown-snake, hognosed-snake (adder), milk-snake, garter-snake,

ribbon-snake.

CHAPTER IV.

A BACK-YARD FISH-POND.

Although the writer has made frequent journeys to the wonderful

dreamland of his boyhood, and has ruthlessly taken and brought to earth

many of its air-castles for the use of the boys of the present day,

there are still a number of things left, and among the latter is the

back-yard fish-pond, which we shall now seize, and, bringing the idea

down to your back-yard, make it water-tight, so that you can stock it

with real live fish.

A Shallow Pond,

with a broad surface exposed to the air will support, in health many

more inhabitants than a deep hole, with small exposed surface. Remember

that it is easier to keep a fish alive in a shallow basin than it is in

a bottle holding exactly the same amount of water.

If You Dig a Hole

in your yard and fill it with water, it will be a mud-hole, in which no

self-respecting fish will live: besides which the soil will soon soak

up the water and leave the mud to bake in the hot summer sun.

By Sinking a Wooden Tank

in the ground and filling it with water a pond may be made. But any old

box will not answer, for, unless you are a much better mechanic than

the writer was at your age, you will not be able to prevent an ordinary

box from leaking.

However, if you really want a back-yard fish-pond, you may make a box

or tank which will hold water, and the

[Illustration: The Back-yard Fish Pond.]

Best Form for Such a Tank

is that of a wide, flat-bottomed scow. This scow may be of any

dimensions you choose to build it, but I would advise you to make your

first one not more than six feet long by four feet wide, and two feet

deep.

[Illustration: FIGS. 27 and 28.--The Side-boards must be Duplicates.]

In selecting lumber for the scow, pick out pieces which are

comparatively free from knots or blemishes. Reserve two

one-and-a-half-inch planks, and keep the half-inch boards for the

bottom.

A saw, a plane, and a sharp hatchet are necessary, but other tools, if

not absolutely needed, should not on that account be ignored, as they

may come in very handy at times.

Trim off your two side-boards to exactly the same length--say six

feet; they should then be six feet by two feet. On the edge which is

to be the bottom measure toward the centre from each end of each board

two feet, and mark the points; then rule a line diagonally from each

of these points to the corners of the boards on the upper edge; this

will mark out a sort of double-ended sled-runner, as shown in the

illustrations, and when you saw off the triangular pieces marked on the

boards you will have

Two Runners.

Set these runners side to side, on their long edges, and round off the

angles with your plane, until the boards look like rockers (see Fig.

27). The side-boards must be exact duplicates of each other (Fig. 28).

Set the two side-pieces four feet apart and nail two or three temporary

cross-pieces across their top (longest) edges to hold them in position;

then turn them over and nail on the bottom-boards (Fig. 28).

You must use the greatest care in fitting the bottom-boards edge to

edge, but you need not trouble yourself about the ends of the boards;

allow them to project upon each side, as chance may direct. After the

boards are all securely nailed to the bottom the ends may be sawed off

flush with the sides of the scow (Fig. 29).

To Prevent the Wood from Decay

it is well to melt some tar over a fire, and, with a small mop made of

rags tied to the end of a stick, paint the bottom of the scow with

hot tar, being careful to see that all the cracks and crevices are

thoroughly filled.

[Illustration: FIG. 29.--The Ends may be Sawed off Flush.]

In the Shadiest Spot

you can find in the back-yard dig a hole for your tank. Make the bottom

level. Set your tank in place and pack the earth well around the edges.

Cover the bottom of the pond with about one inch depth of sand, and the

surface of the sand with a coating of gravel; then carefully fill the

tank, without disturbing the sand, and allow the water to settle; after

which a few aquatic plants may be introduced and a wire fence built

around the pond to keep out intruders of the two-footed and four-footed

kind. If you have a few small frogs and turtles the mesh of the wire in

the fence must be small.

When to Stock.

After the water has stood for three or four days, and the aquatic

plants have started to grow in their new quarters, you can stock the

pond with sunfish, rock-bass, dace, small catfish, crawfish, carp,

and goldfish. The two last-named are the most stupid of the fish, and

the rock-bass is one of the most intelligent fish I have ever kept in

captivity.

[Illustration: FIG. 30.--Cross-Section of Tank.]

Handy for the Pets.

The inclined ends of the scow-shaped tank give two sloping shores (Fig.

30), which will be appreciated by the crawfish, turtles, and frogs; and

if you build a little rockery in the centre the more timid fish will

thank you for your thoughtfulness in providing them a safe retreat.

If it is possible for you to

Catch Your Own Fish

do not waste your money buying stupid goldfish. The fun of hunting for

other small fish, capturing them and taming them, is more than half

the pay for the work, in the pleasure it will afford you. However, if

you are so situated that you cannot go fishing yourself, the aquarium

stores in the big cities will supply you with almost any sort of

aquatic creature.

Fresh-Water Clams

or mussels will live in confinement, and a few make an interesting

addition to a collection. Water-snails act as scavengers for the

under-water settlement, and a handful of them may be added to form

a sort of street-cleaning department. Caddice worms and the little

fresh-water shrimp which you find among the water-plants make excellent

food for your fish.

Avoid Salt-Water Sand,

stones, and shells, for the salts they contain are injurious to

fresh-water creatures. Do not change the water in the tank after it is

in running order; but as it evaporates replenish with fresh water.

CHAPTER V.

PIGEON-LOFTS AND BANTAM-COOPS.

The best place in the world for boys is out-doors, breathing good

fresh air, and the best place in the world for pigeons and chickens is

out-doors, breathing good fresh air. Our modern environments too often

limit the amount of out-door space which boys can occupy, and also

limit the supply of fresh air they can furnish their pets.

In making designs for the latter we must take into consideration the

limited space of a city back-yard, as well as the fact that during the

extreme cold weather pigeons, chickens, and boys, all need some warm

retreat where they may roost or sleep.

Indeed, chickens really

Need Shelter

more than either boys or pigeons; the former have been known to thrive

and grow lusty and strong when living like the wild animals of the

forests, and every boy knows of some location where pigeons have taken

up their abode with no better shelter than that afforded by an open

shed, or the overhanging eaves of a house.

Chickens,

coming originally from tropical woods, will thrive better where their

delicate combs and toes are not liable to be frost-bitten, and one is

more certain not to lose his fantails, pouters, ruff-necks, tumblers,

and homing pigeons, if he has a suitable loft in which to confine

his pets. These considerations lead to the designing of a combined

pigeon-house and bantam-coop suitable for the limited space of the

diminutive city back-yards, or even appropriate for the roof of a rear

extension, where there is no back-yard to the dwelling.

[Illustration: FIG. 31.--Frame of Bantam-Coop and Pigeon-Loft.]

By referring to Fig. 31 you will see two boys at work upon the frame of

A Pigeon-Loft and Bantam-Coop

which is capable of holding with comfort enough pets to gladden the

heart of any healthy boy.

The longest posts, A G and B H, are supposed to be about nine or ten

feet high and nailed fast to the back fence. The dotted line, which

cuts the frame in half, is to show that a building half the size of the

one in the drawing will be plenty large enough for quite commodious

quarters for the birds. After the frame has been nailed together and

the protruding ends of the timbers all sawed off even with the rest of

the frame, a floor must be laid to the pigeon-loft and securely nailed

in place.

Rough Lumber Will Answer.

It is not even necessary to have smoothed lumber for the flooring or

any part of the house, but matched and planed boards will make a much

neater piece of work. The uprights and all the frame are supposed to

be built of “two-by-four” (two inches thick by four inches wide), but

even this is not necessary, and in the country, where trimmed lumber is

scarce, the whole frame may be built of poles cut in the woods.

When the

Pigeon-Loft Floor

is nailed down, set the door-jambs in place, between D J and B H, and

the window-jambs between D J and F L, as shown by Fig. 32. Nail the

jambs fast to the rest of the frame, toe-nailing the loft door-jamb to

the floor of the loft, and the coop jamb to the ceiling of the coop,

also the two horizontal jambs of the window-frame to the two upright

jambs of the same.

Shutter Frames.

Over the top-piece, C D, and the bottom piece, N, nail two boards,

each about six inches wide (R and S, Fig. 32), and upon the inside of

the loft erect three boards, one at each end and one in the middle

(facing the roof of the coop), each of the same width as the top and

bottom-boards. This is to make a framework for the shutters, with

which to close the loft in bad weather. Over the uprights just erected

nail the strips, Q, O, and P (Fig. 32). Repeat this with the front

end of the coop, E, F, K, and L, of Fig. 31, and you will have it as

represented by Fig. 32.

[Illustration: FIG. 32.--Framed and Roofed.]

Roofing Material.

There are several cheap kinds of tar and gravel-paper sold which make

neat and durable roofings, not only for coops and sheds, but even for

more ambitious structures. In case these are not easily obtainable,

roof the loft and coop with ordinary boards, using another lot of

boards to cover the cracks between the first layer (Fig. 32).

It is now only necessary to nail on your sidings, and your loft-coop is

finished, all but the doors and windows.

Dimensions are not given for these, because it often happens that there

is some old window or hot-bed sash lying around the place, and the

jambs can be made to fit the sash. The sash is held in place by nails,

for it is not intended to open the window, the sash only being used to

let light into the lower bantam-coop.

The open face of the pigeon-loft and bantam-coop are to be covered with

wire-netting, fastened securely with staple tacks, inside the coop and

loft, as shown by Fig. 33.

[Illustration: FIGS. 33 and 34.]

Doors.

Fig. 34 shows how to make the doors of boards, fitted together and

secured by two cross-battens and one diagonal-batten.

When the doors are hung upon their hinges the house is finished, but

not furnished. It is not necessary to have any protection for the

screen fronts during the summer, but when winter comes four shutters,

made to fit these openings, it will be found, will keep out the storms

and protect the inmates from the cold.

The Shutters

may be made in the same manner as the doors, and hinged on to the

lower sill of the loft, so that when open, during fair weather, they

will rest securely upon the roof of the coop. The coop-shutters may be

hinged in the same manner or simply fitted into place and held there by

props of some sort, which, with the shutters, may be removed in fair

weather, to admit the air and sunshine so dearly loved by your pets.

Keep Clean.

I take it for granted that you know how to care for the chickens and

pigeons; that you know that no being, not even man, can keep himself

clean and healthy when confined to a small room. The keeper must attend

to all household duties.

If your pets are untidy, soiled in appearance, and their abode infested

with parasites, it will be because of the cruel thoughtlessness of

their keeper. To facilitate house-cleaning, Fig. 35 shows the internal

arrangement and furniture of the coop-loft, all of which may be removed

in a few moments and the whole place cleaned and whitewashed.

The Hen’s-Nest

box is made with a steep slanting roof, which will prevent the chickens

from roosting on the box. The latter has no bottom to it; the nests

rest upon the earth, so that you may pick up the box at any time, turn

it upside down, and turn the hose on it, or plentifully plaster it with

clean, wholesome whitewash.

Pigeon-Nests.

A cleat nailed to the inside wall of the loft, near the door, serves

as a rest for one end of the pigeon-nests. The other end is supported

by a piece of wood about four inches wide which is hinged to the back

wall, and its upper end held in place by a long hook made of a piece of

telegraph wire.

If this hook is unfastened the wooden support falls down and the box of

nests slips off the cleat into your arms.

Pigeons are not good at perching upon twigs or sticks. Their feet are

adapted for walking upon flat surfaces, and they need a broad surface

for a roost. Fig. 40 shows how to make a pigeon-roost, which may be

hung up against the wall by slipping the two holes bored in the top of

the back board over a couple of nails in the wall.

For a Hen-Roost,

nail a narrow strip of wood, with its flat side upon the thin edge of

another similar strip. The end will then look like a T, Fig. 38.

Round off the edges of the perch with a plane or knife until it is of

the form of the right-hand diagram.

Fig. 37 shows a roost of this kind. Fig. 36 shows the adjustable

side-rail, with slots for the perch to fit, and Fig. 39 shows a cleat

to nail against the wall for the other end of the roost. As may be

seen, the perch will fit in the slot in the cleat.

Drinking-Troughs.

Figs. 41 and 42 are drinking-troughs, arranged so that the birds will

not soil the water.

[Illustration: FIGS. 35 to 42.--Interior and Furniture of Loft and

Coop.]

The jug-trough was made by a farm hand, friend of the writer. He made

a hole near the bottom of the jug by first nicking off a piece of the

hard glazed surface with the corner of a hatchet, and then drilling

the hole with a sharpened nail. When the jug was filled with water, a

stopper was put in and it was set in an old dish; the water remained

above the hole in the jug, but rose no higher.

Fig. 42 is an

Old Lard-Can,

with a triangle cut in the edge. Fill the can with water and place a

dish over the top, hold the dish in place, and turn the can upside

down, and the water will fill the dish and keep it filled to the top of

the cut in the can as long as there is water in the can.

Flying-Cage.

By erecting posts at or near the lower end of the bantam-coop and

stretching wire netting from post to post, and thence to pigeon-loft,

a space can be enclosed and roofed over with netting, which will allow

your pigeons room to exercise their wings. This arrangement does not

necessarily use up a foot more ground space.

There are many other simple arrangements which these few will help to

suggest to the reader, and which will add to the comfort and happiness

of his pets.

CHAPTER VI.

HOW TO MAKE A BACK-YARD AVIARY.

It was before the directors of the Brooklyn Institute had met with

success in their silly work of introducing the house-sparrow (known

here as the English sparrow) to this country, and long before these

foreign pests were spread over the length and breadth of the United

States, that the court-house in Covington, Ky., was surmounted by a

wooden image of George Washington.

Bird’s-Nests in Washington’s Coat.

All boys know that Washington loved his country, but few know that he

was a bird-fancier. That the father of our country loved the native

birds is attested by the fact that they built nests in the wooden

wrinkles of his sleeves and in the hollow ends of the roll of parchment

which he held in his hand. His favorite bird was the red-headed

woodpecker. He had it on the brain, and although each year a brood of

little red-headed birds were hatched in his head, the dear old patriot

never made a wry face, but with a benign smile he gazed over the roof

of the livery stable across the street.

Bird’s-Nests in Speaking-Horn.

Upon the same lot with the court-house stood the fire-engine-house,

with its old-fashioned lookout tower. On the top of the tower was a

weather-vane, made of a great fireman’s horn, but the only voices

which ever issued from this old speaking-trumpet were the voices of the

purple martins, singing their bubbling love songs, the twittering of

their mates, or the impatient piping of the young birds inside their

revolving home.

It was in the swinging, moving weather-vane of the engine-house that

these birds each year built their nests and reared their young.

[Illustration: FIGS. 43 to 47.--The Log may be Rounded or Square.]

A Woodpecker’s House.

There is an army of interesting birds called creepers, sapsuckers, and

woodpeckers, which no one has, apparently, thought of providing with

homes, yet it is not difficult to suit the woodpeckers with houses.

A substitute for their favorite rotten tree or stump may be made of a

sound piece of timber. The log may be squared or rounded, as in nature

(Fig. 43). Saw off the bottom so that the log may set upright, then

trim off the top end wedge-shaped, to shed the rain or to receive a

roof, which will still further protect it from the weather.

Next saw a deep cut as shown by the dotted line, =a=, =b=. With a

large-sized auger bore a number of holes in the face of the log; these

holes must be bored deep enough to leave a slight indentation in the

main part of the log after the piece, =a=, =b=, =c=, =d=, has been

removed.

After the holes are bored begin at =c=, =d= and saw to =a=, =b= (Fig.

43), and lift off the piece =a=, =b=, =c=, =d= (Fig. 45).

With chisel and gouge cut out the nest holes. Make them about eight

inches deep, as shown in Fig. 44. Fig. 47 gives a cross-section of the

hole, showing it to be of the same form as those made by the birds

themselves, in George Washington’s head, or the old stump in the woods.

The Perforated Door

may now be replaced and spiked to the log, and the roof (Fig. 46)

nailed on the top, which will complete the woodpecker’s home.

A better plan than spiking the door in place is to hang it on hinges,

as shown in Fig. 46.

The Hinged Door

should be supplied with a padlock, as a safeguard against children and

too-curious grown people. A handful of sawdust thrown into the bottom

of each nest-hole will supply the place of the absorbent rotten wood

to which these birds are accustomed.

It is claimed that the English sparrow will not nest in a swinging or

moving house. If this is true we may

Bring the Martins Back

by supplying them with swinging houses made of dipper and bottle

gourds, hung to brackets or to hoops and poles (Figs. 48 and 49).

[Illustration: FIGS. 48 and 49.--Bottle Gourds Hung to Brackets.]

The Gourds for Bird’s Houses

must be thoroughly dried, and doorways cut in each, near the bottom of

the bowl. Never make the entrance to any sort of a bird-house on a line

with the bottom of the house, for the nest will block the doorway.

Paint the Gourds

bright red, green, blue, and yellow, and fasten the small ends to the

supports with copper wire, as shown in Figs. 48 and 49.

The Wren-House

shown in Fig. 50 is made of a grape-basket, and will not stand rough

weather, but if put in a sheltered place it will last a long time.

Wrens love to build under a roof of any sort.

[Illustration: FIGS. 50-55.--Made from Fruit-Cans.]

Tin-Can Bird-Houses.

Fig. 51 is an old fruit-can. Fig. 52 is the same nailed to a board.

These tin cans may not appear beautiful when nailed to tree or shed,

but if neatly painted and wired together (Fig. 53) they will present

a most attractive appearance. Fig. 54 is a nest of cans, roofed. If a

bunch of straw is bound firmly together, and the opposite ends spread

over the bird-house (Fig. 55), it will make a very attractive thatched

roof.

A House of Straw.

A pretty and durable house may be made by binding straw around hoops,

and roofing the structure thus made with a bunch of straw.

[Illustration: FIGS. 56-58.--A Thatched Barrel.]

Figs. 56, 57, and 58 explain the structure of

A Barrel for a Martin-House

which, when neatly made and thatched with straw, is decidedly

ornamental, and will be duly appreciated by your bird friends.

If we can keep the English sparrows away, the bluebirds will nest in

any sort of a sheltered hole.

Earthenware flower-pots, as shown in Fig. 59, may be used for

bird-houses if you enlarge the holes in their bottoms to serve as

doorways, and enclose the upper part between two boards (Figs. 60 and

61) which have previously had places cut out to receive the pots. If

any of your shade or fruit-trees have

[Illustration: FIGS. 59-63.--From Earthenware Pots.]

Old Knot-holes

in them (Fig. 62), the rotten wood can be cleaned out, a frame nailed

around the opening, and a neat little door (Fig. 63) put on the frame.

The door should have a hole through it, with a perch or stick attached,

and this will make an ideal bird-house.

An Available Supply of Moist Clay

will often induce the cliff-swallows to plant a colony in your

neighborhood, and holes made in the gable ends of your stable will

invite the social barn-swallow to build under the protecting roof.

Do not fail to keep fresh water, in shallow pans or earthenware dishes,

on your lawn, for bird baths.

At my suggestion Samuel Jackson, my young brother-in-law, set out baths

upon the lawn last summer, and the photograph on the opposite page is

one which he took of a wild robin enjoying his free bath.

There is another

Little Native American

friend which the noisy sparrows are doing their best to drive away.

This is the house-wren: as interesting and busy a little mite as ever

protected a garden from noxious insects. If you make your wren-house

door the size of a silver quarter of a dollar no robber sparrow can

enter to despoil the nest.

Of our seven common species of swallows, four are availing themselves

of the opportunity offered by the barns for nesting.

[Illustration: Wild Robin at His Bath. _Photographed from life by

Samuel Jackson._]

Barn-swallows build under roofs; cliff-swallows, under eaves; the

white-bellied-swallow and martin, in boxes set up for that purpose,

when these shelters are not preëmpted by the English sparrows.

The native swallows destroy an amount of noxious insects beyond

calculation, and almost beyond imagination. Without birds this world

would, because of insects, be uninhabitable, yet each year two hundred

millions of them are sacrificed _for women’s hats and bonnets_. Aside

from the inexcusable barbarity of this practice is its menace to our

trees, our crops, and our very existence.

CHAPTER VII.

A BOY’S BACK-YARD WORKSHOP.

How to make Buildings Plumb and Level.

By a workshop is meant a place where a boy can build a boat, sled,

box-kite, man-kite,[8] mend a golf-club, a broken bicycle, his mother’s

rocking-chair, his aunt’s umbrella, or build a paper-balloon.[9] It is

a room, house, or shed, where a boy can do what pleases him, without

being in everybody’s way; a place where he can retire and idly whittle

a stick, or seriously work out some youthful invention; a place where

he can entertain his young friends during the rainy or stormy days of

winter, and where they can talk over the new football team, baseball or

golf club, without being oppressed with the knowledge that their loud

talk is annoying the older folks.

The late war has demonstrated to the whole world the wonderful skill

and pluck of the young American, and the world must not suppose these

qualities to be suddenly acquired, but must know them to be a matter

of education--an education acquired during boyhood, at the boy’s own

school, with boy professors.

The Success of Americans

is not on account of any peculiarity of the blood which flows in

their veins, but because they live under a government which teaches

independence, and the boys on the play-ground become self-reliant,

resourceful lads, developing their skill by building kites, sleds, and

boats, and developing their pluck on the baseball and football field.

To such youths it is unnecessary to enumerate the advantages of a

workshop; neither is it essential to point out to them the fact

that they may commence their collection of tools with a serviceable

pocket-knife.

A Good Oil-stone,

to keep the knife sharp, is a prize, and for its protection from

dust or injury it should be set into a block of wood so that about

one-eighth of an inch of the stone projects above the block. A similar

block, with a space the size of the stone and one-eighth of an inch

deep cut out of its centre, should be made for a cover.

A Hatchet

is not a difficult thing to procure, and a saw, a screw-driver, a

gimlet, and a three-cornered file can be added to the collection as

opportunity offers. Next a chisel or two, and you will have a kit of

tools with which, if skilfully used, you can build anything from a

three-legged stool to a flying-machine.

Use the Best Tools You Can Get.

With an axe or hatchet, an auger and a sheath-knife, the whole race of

pioneers, including Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, and the parents of

Abraham Lincoln, built their homes and made their household furniture.

It is not to be supposed that any boy, in his right mind, will prefer

an old dull auger, blunt axe, and a butcher-knife to a chest of

bright, new, modern tools, but unless a boy belongs to the Miss Nancy,

Little Lord Fauntleroy type, he will do his best with the implements at

hand, and acquire better ones as the occasion offers. In this manner

the contents of his tool-chest will grow gradually, and keep pace with

the development of his skill as a mechanic.

[Illustration: FIG. 64.]

Such a lad, when in need of

A Level,

will make himself one, probably using three pieces of board, a string,

and a weight, as shown in Fig. 64. The two side-pieces of wood being

exact duplicates in all dimensions, the angles at the bottom are

necessarily equal, and a line from the apex (A) to the centre of the

bottom-piece must be a plumb line. After sawing out his side-boards

and joining them at their top edges, he nails a straight piece to

the bottom-ends, using the utmost care to have the lower edge of the

bottom-board exactly the same distance from A on each arm; that is, A

B must be exactly the length of A C, and B D must equal D C. He next

cuts a small notch at A, so that he can fit a string at the crack

between the two arms, A B and A C. A notch is also cut at D, to allow

the weight play-room. When the lower edge of the bottom-board is placed

upon a level, and the string ceases to vibrate, it will be found that,

the bullet hanging free, the string exactly covers a line which has

been previously ruled across the bottom-board. The line was ruled by

placing a straight-edge, or rule, at A and D. The slightest incline of

the base-board will throw the string to one side or the other, and show

the base to be out of level.

This implement is a simple thing to construct, is as serviceable as a

spirit-level, and as reliable.

For buildings, a large-sized level, with side-pieces three feet long,

is useful. Smaller ones are handy in the shop.

A Convenient, Home-Manufactured Plumb

is made by dividing a straight piece of board with a black line,

exactly in the centre, extending from end to end. This piece is notched

at one end in the same manner as the previous one, and a string and

weight attached, as shown by Fig. 65. By placing the edge of this

against a wall it can be determined whether it is in or out of plumb.

[Illustration: FIG. 65.]

The boy who can manufacture these two tools can, with the aid of other

boys, build himself

A Workshop;

and it is possible he can do it alone, but when it comes to lifting

heavy lumber he will be glad of the assistance of some of his friends.

If the reader is the happy possessor of some old locust fence-posts,

he has the best sort of material for a foundation. Lacking locust,

chestnut posts will make a good substitute. Lacking chestnut, some

carefully laid and levelled stones or bricks will answer all purposes.

I have seen many an old house resting upon four heaps of rough stones,

the latter having faithfully supported the edifice for years, and

prevented the sills from rotting from contact with the damp earth.

Even the ground will answer for

A Foundation,

if the dirt is properly packed and drained. All through certain

sections of this country there are hundreds of humble dwellings built

upon “mud-sills”--in other words, with no other foundation or floor but

the bare ground.

I will, however, suppose that you have secured some posts about two

feet six inches long and with good flat ends.

[Illustration: FIG. 66.]

The better the material you can obtain, the trimmer and better will be

the appearance of your house; but a house which will protect you and

your tools may be made of the roughest of lumber.

The plans drawn here will answer for common or fine material, but we

will suppose that medium material is to be used. It will be taken for

granted that the reader is able to procure enough two-by-four-inch

timber to supply studs, ribs, purlins, rafters, beams, and posts, for

the frame shown in Fig. 69. Two pieces of four-by-four-inch timber,

each fifteen feet long, should be procured for sills. If this is

inaccessible, two pieces of two-by-four nailed together will make a

four-by-four sill. Add to this some tongue-and-grooved boarding for

sides and roof, some enthusiasm and good American pluck, and the shop

is almost as good as built.

How to Build the House.

First lay out the foundation, eight feet by fifteen; see that the

corners are square--that is, at right angles; test this with a tape or

string, by measuring diagonally from corner to corner both ways, and

if it measures exactly the same you are all right, and may proceed to

dig your post-holes. The outside of the posts should be flush, or even,

with the outside edges of the sills and end-beams of the house, as

shown in Fig. 66. There are to be four posts on each of the long sides

of the house, at equal distances apart--a little less than five feet

from centre to centre of each post.

[Illustration: FIG. 67.]

Dig the holes two feet deep, allowing six inches of the posts to

protrude above ground. If you drive two stakes a short distance beyond

the foundation, in line with your foundation lines, and run a string

from the top of one stake to the top of the other, you can, without

much trouble, get it upon a perfect level by testing it with your

home-made level, and adjusting the stakes until the string represents

the level for your sill. When this is done,

Set Your Posts

to correspond to the level of the string, then place your sill on top

of the posts, and test that with your level. If found to be correct,

fill in the dirt around the posts and pack it firmly, then spike your

sill to the posts. Go through the same operation with the opposite set

of posts and sill.

[Illustration: FIG. 68.]

The first difficult work is now done, and, with the exception of the

roof, the rest only needs ordinary care, and what old-fashioned people

used to term “gumption.”

It is to be supposed that you have already sawed off and prepared nine

two-by-four-inch beams, each of which is exactly eight feet long. Set

these on edge from sill to sill, equal distances apart, the edges of

the end-beams being exactly even with the ends of the sills (Figs. 66

and 69). See that the beams all cross the sills at right angles, and

toe-nail[10] them in place.

You may now neatly

Floor the Foundation

with one-inch boards; these boards must be laid lengthwise with the

building and crosswise with the beams. When this is finished, you will

have a beautiful platform on which to work, where you will be in no

danger of losing your tools, and you may use the floor as a table, on

which to measure and plan the sides and roof.

[Illustration: FIG. 69.]

It is a good idea to

Make Your Ridge-Plank and Rafters

now, while the floor is clear of rubbish.

Lay out and mark on the floor, with a carpenter’s soft pencil, a

straight line, four feet long (A B, Fig. 70). At right angles to this

draw another line, three feet six inches long (A D, Fig. 70). Connect

these points (B D, Fig. 70), with a straight line, then complete the

figure A B C D (Fig. 70). Now allow two inches at the top for the

ridge-plank at B, and two by four for the end of the side plate at

D. You then have a pattern for each rafter with a “plumb-edge” at B

and a “bird’s-mouth” at D. The plumb-edge must be parallel with B C,

and the two jaws of the bird’s-mouth (Fig. 71) parallel with D C and

A D, respectively. Make six rafters of two-by-four-inch wood, one

ridge-plank of two-by-six or seven-inch wood.

[Illustration: FIGS. 70 and 71.]

The “Purlins” and “Collar”

can be made and fitted after the roof is raised. Set your roof-timber

carefully to one side, and clear the floor for the studs, ribs, and

plates. First prepare the end-posts, and make them of two-by-four. Each

post is of two pieces (see Fig. 69). There will be four outside pieces

which rest on the end-beams. These will be each five feet eight inches

in length, and four inside pieces, each six feet in length; this allows

two inches at the top for the ends of the end-plates to rest upon.

Examine the Corner-Posts

in Fig. 69, and you will see that the outside two-by-four rests partly

upon the top of the end beam, and the side-plate rests directly upon

it. You will also observe that the inside two-by-four rests directly

upon the sill, which would make the former four inches longer than

the outside piece, if it extended to the side-plate; but you will

also notice that there is a notch in the end-plate for the outside

corner-piece to fit in, and that the end of the end-plate fits on top

the inside piece of the corner-posts, taking off two inches, which

makes the inside piece just six feet long. This is a very simple

arrangement, as may be seen by examining the diagram. Besides the

corner-posts, each of which, as we have seen, is made of two pieces of

two-by-four, there are four studs for the front side, each six feet

two inches long, and one stud for the rear wall, six feet two inches

long. The short studs shown in the diagram (Fig. 69), on the rear side,

are unnecessary, and are only shown so that they may be put in as

convenient attachments for shelves and tool-racks.

The First Stud

on the front is placed two feet from the corner-post, and the second

one about six feet six inches from the first, to allow a space for a

six-foot window over the carpenter’s bench; the next two studs form the

door-jambs, and must be far enough from the corner to allow the door to

open and swing back out of the way. If you

Make Your Door

two and one-half feet wide--a good size--you may set your last stud two

feet from the corner-post, and leave a space of two feet six inches

for the doorway. Now mark off on the floor the places where the studs

will come, and cut out the flooring at these points to allow the ends

of the studs to enter and rest on the sill. Next make four ribs--one

long one to go beneath

The Window,

one short one to fit between the corner-post and the door-stud (not

shown in diagram), another to fit between the door-stud and the

window-stud, and another to fit between the window-stud and the first

corner-post (the nearest corner in the diagram Fig. 69). Next make your

Side-Plate

exactly fifteen feet long. Fit the frame together on the floor, and

nail the pieces together, toe-nailing the ribs in place. A lot of boys

may now raise the whole side-frame, and the ends of the studs can be

slipped into their respective slots, the end-posts made plumb, and

temporarily held in place by a board, one end of which is nailed to

the top end of the post and the other to the end-beam. Such a diagonal

board at each end will hold the side in place until the opposite side

is raised and similarly supported.

It is now a simple thing to slip the end-plates in place under the

side-plates, until their outside edges are even with the outside of the

corner-posts and their notched ends under the side-plates, and resting

snugly upon the tops of the inside pieces of the corner-post. A long

wire-nail driven through the top-plates and end-plates down into the

posts at each corner will hold them securely in place. Toe-nail a rib

between the two nearest end-posts, and make two window-studs and three

ribs for the opposite end. The framing now needs only the roof-timbers

to complete

The Skeleton of Your Shop.

Across, from side-plate to side-plate, lay some loose boards, for a

platform; then, standing on these boards, let your assistant lift

one end of the ridge-plank, while with one nail to each rafter you

fasten the two end-rafters on to the ridge-plank, fit the jaws of the

bird’s-mouth cuts (Fig. 71) over the ends of the side-plates, and hold

them temporarily in place with a “stay-lath”--that is, a piece of board

temporarily nailed to rafter and end-plate. The other end of the ridge

is now resting on the platform at the other end of the house, and this

may be lifted up, for the single nails will allow movement and play to

the posts.

[Illustration: FIG. 72.--Machine-Shop.]

The Rafters

are next nailed in place, with one nail each, and a stay-lath fastened

on, to hold them in place. Now test the ends with your plumb-level, and

when they are found to be correct, nail all the rafters securely in

place; stiffen the centre pair with a piece called a collar (see Fig.

69). Add four purlins (Fig. 69), set at right angles to the rafters,

and take off your hats and give three cheers.

But do not forget to

Nail a Green Bough to your Roof-tree,

in accordance with the ancient and time-honored custom. The sides of

the house may be covered with the cheapest sort of lumber, and roofed

with the same material, but if you can secure good stuff, use 13 × 7/8

× 9-1/4-inch tongue and grooved, one side planed so that it may be

painted; you can make two side-boards out of each piece six feet six

inches in length. Nail the sides on, running the boards vertically,

leaving openings for windows and doors at the proper places.

If you have made a triangular edge to your ridge-stick, as in Fig. 70,

it will add to the finish, and the roof may be neatly and tightly laid,

with the upper edge of one side protruding a couple of inches over

the opposite side and thus protecting the joint from rain. Additional

security is gained by nailing what are called picket-strips (7/8 ×

1-3/4 inches) over each place where the planks join. Lack of space

forbids me to go into many details, such as the manufacture of the

door and the arrangement of windows, but these small problems you can

easily solve by examining doors and windows of similar structures.

[Illustration: FIG. 73.--Carpenter-Shop.]

Figs. 67, 72, and 73 show the arrangement of the interior of the shop.

Near the door and against the window is a work-bench with shelves,

boxes, and tool-racks. This end of the room is called

The Machine-shop,

for here are the metal working-tools, wire springs, locks, bolts, nuts

and all the odds and ends that are useful for mending anything, from a

bicycle to an umbrella. Under the six-foot window is the carpenter’s

bench for carpenter-work.

In Fig. 72 there is a

Tool-rack

across the front of the window for files, chisels, etc., but this is

only a place to thrust the tools you happen to be using at the time. On

account of the danger of rain from the open window, tools should not

be left in the rack after the work is finished. In place of drawers,

wooden boxes are made to fit loosely into compartments prepared for

them. These boxes have wooden handles, as shown in the diagram, and

they will be found very convenient. There is plenty of room under this

work-table for more boxes when the accumulation of materials renders

additional storing-room necessary. Sets of deep pigeon holes are very

convenient for extra bicycle spokes and similar objects. Fig. 73 shows

The Carpenter’s Bench,

and a few tools stored on the wall. A board with holes bored in it

makes a good rack for hammers; saws should always hang in an accessible

place, and ordinary brass or iron hooks may be used for this purpose.

[Illustration: FIG. 74.--A Box.]

To Protect your Auger-bits

from danger of rust, tack a piece of thick cloth or soft piece of

leather to the wall, using sufficient material to allow a flap to hang

down and cover the bits. Under the flap is a number of pockets, divided

by stitching the front to the back-piece, or by tacking the division

lines to the walls. (See the left-hand upper corner of Fig. 73.)

Care of Shavings.

A barrel or large box or basket should always be near the carpenter’s

bench to receive the shavings, and the stove must be set in a box of

sand or earth, to prevent any danger of hot coals falling amid the

easily ignited materials in the carpenter-shop. (Fig. 68.) The hole in

the roof, where the stove-pipe goes through, must be protected by a

sheet-iron ring or collar.

A Place for Tool-racks.

The blank wall, opposite the carpenter’s bench, may be covered with

tool-racks, shelves, and other arrangements for the convenience of the

young workmen.

To Keep Small Things.

A number of old square tin boxes, such as certain firms use for packing

cocoa, mustard, and various other food material, may be utilized by

simply cutting off three sides, as shown in Fig. 74, and making a shelf

with a depression for them to fit into, as shown in the sketch.

This makes a most convenient nest of boxes for screws, staples, and

similar objects. Each box may be lifted out of the rack by its long

back and set where it is handy, until you are through with it; then it

may be replaced in exactly the same spot, without trouble or annoyance.

[Illustration: FIG. 75.--Rack Stick.]

Figs. 75 and 75a show

A Famous Old Rack,

which is familiar to all who have lived in the woods. It can be made of

the branch of any shrub or tree, with the aid of a pocket-knife, and

nailed to the wall as shown in Fig. 75a.

[Illustration: FIG. 75a.--The Famous Old Rack.]

Moulding, boards, and picket-strips can be stored overhead, resting on

the end-plates and the rafter-collar in the middle of the roof.

This workshop has been planned so as not to crowd a small back-yard,

and if it is built of lumber which presents a smooth outside it may

be neatly painted, and will not injure the appearance of the yard in

the least. Vines may be trained over the walls of the shop and flowers

planted around the outside, without in any manner interfering with

its convenience as a workshop, or lowering the dignity of the young

artisans who make it their head-quarters.

FOOTNOTES:

[8] For description and diagrams see “The Outdoor Handy Book.”

[9] “The American Boy’s Handy Book.”

[10] Toe-nailing, or foot-nailing, consists in driving the nails

diagonally or slantingly down through the ends of the beams to the

sill, in place of nailing through from the top down to the sill.

CHAPTER VIII.

HOW TO BUILD AN UNDERGROUND CLUB-HOUSE.

The muffled sound of voices, interrupted by peals of hollow laughter,

issuing from the apparently solid earth, is a sufficiently startling

phenomenon of itself; but when a group of boys and a dog suddenly

emerge from the ground it is calculated to induce the most prosaic

of persons to believe that the gnomes of fairy stories are, after

all, living realities. For the peace of mind of all who may hear the

mysterious voices and see the apparitions just described, it may

be well to state that the gnomes are human and are members of the

Bank-Swallows’ Club, and if you hear their voices under your feet it

is because you happen to be standing on the roof of their underground

club-house.

These

American Gnomes

use only such magic as their healthy brains and sturdy arms can

supply, and if they “cast a charm” upon you it will be one of the most

delightful of all spells--the charm of boyhood!

The club-house may be built with

A Doorway at the Top

of the bank, concealed by a trap-door, or with an entrance from the

hillside, as shown in the diagrams. If the reader chooses the first

style he has simply to follow the diagrams here given, and reversing

the proportions of the ventilator and entrance (Fig. 79), make an

entrance of the vent and a vent of the entrance.

The Trap-Door

must be placed high enough above the surface of the ground to prevent

the water from running into the house in wet weather, and a ladder

should be provided, by which the boys may climb in and out of the house

with ease.

Dimensions of the House.

The house should be big enough to allow room for a table and some

chairs, stools, or benches, and the roof be so arranged that the

tallest boy in the crowd may stand erect, with no fear of bumping his

head.

The furniture must be placed inside the frame as soon as the floor is

laid, because after the house is finished the entrance is too small to

admit the passage of any object of more bulk than a creeping boy.

The hardest work is digging the foundation in the hillside, but if six

or seven boys take a hand at this, “for the fun of the thing,” the work

is soon done.

[Illustration: FIG. 76.--Cross-Section of Excavation.]

[Illustration: Bank Swallows at Work.]

A Cross-Section

is a picture showing how half an object looks. Fig. 76 is a

cross-section of the excavation shown in Fig. 76a. The latter shows the

finished foundation.

[Illustration: FIG. 76a.--The Excavation.]

In Fig. 79 a cross-section of the earth-bank and

The Boys’ Underground Club-House

is given, affording an idea of the proper proportions of the cave. When

the foundation is entirely finished, collect your building material.

If you have

New Lumber,

use it; if not, use old lumber, and if you are building in the woods

the house may be built of logs and roofed with poles, covered with bark

and boughs. The better the material the stronger will be the house.

Secure some good sound planks and a supply of long strips two inches

thick and four inches wide. Use two-by-fours for the frame of the house.

To give a

Pitch to the Roof,

to allow the water which filters through the dirt above to drain off at

the eaves, make the rear posts, A, B and C, D (Fig. 77), exactly equal

in length, but considerably longer than E, F and G, H, as in Fig. 79.

To add strength, erect another post midway between A, B and C, D.

Framing.

Cut the sticks A, C and B, D exactly equal in length and nail them

to the uprights A, B and C, D, as in Fig. 77, using one nail at each

corner; this will adjust the frame and make the four corners square,

after which you may secure them in position by diagonal pieces similar

to those shown on the end, A, E, B, F, Fig. 77. The corners may then be

nailed. In nailing a temporary piece it is only necessary to drive the

nails far enough to hold for the time.

Next make the frame E, G, H, F, and in the middle of this frame nail

on the two door-jambs I, J, and K, L. While some of the boys hold the

front and rear frames in an upright position and the proper distance

apart, others can nail on diagonals at the two ends, and, after all

is square and plumb, the two string-pieces, A, E and C, G, may be

securely nailed in place, and the rafter M, O nailed to M, N and O, P.

This finishes the framework proper, for the club-house.

Passageway.

To make the frame for the underground hall or passageway, first nail Q,

S across the door-jambs, to form the top to the doorway, after which

put in the supports Q, R and S, T. Next build the frame U, V, X, W, and

join it to Q, S by the two pieces, Q, U and S, V, and put in the middle

frame-support marked Z, Z, Z, Z.

[Illustration: FIG. 77.--The Frame.]

The passageway should be about six feet long, and the front doorway

(U, V, X, W, Fig. 80) of just sufficient size to enable you to creep

through with comfort. The bottom-piece, W, X, can be nailed to a couple

of stakes driven in the ground for that purpose. The next thing in

order is the floor, and to make this firm you must lay a number of

two-by-fours, parallel to B, D and F, H and see that they are level.

You will need a number of shorter pieces of the same material, to run

parallel to F, H and W, X for the hall floor, as may be seen in Fig.

79. Across these nail your floor securely, as shown in Fig. 79.

There Are No Windows

to the underground house, and but two openings: one in the roof for the

ventilator, and the doorway, Q, S, L, J, Fig. 77. Since the outside

of the wall of this sort of a house is hidden by earth, it is not

necessary to remove the diagonal braces upon the ends or sides, but the

inside should be neatly finished, and the four sides must be boarded

up from the inside, after which the side-walls to the passageway may

be nailed on from the outside, the boards running from the floor to

the string-pieces, Q, U and S, V, as shown in Fig. 79. When this is

finished, roof the house, laying the boards parallel with A, E and

C, G, and allowing them to project front and rear and overlap at the

sides. Over each crack in the roof nail another plank, as shown in Fig.

79.

The Roof

may be made without the overlapping boards and the cracks covered with

strips of tar-paper or old oil-cloth, or the roof may be preserved and

the cracks filled by treating the whole to a coating of hot tar, daubed

on with a brush made from rags tied to the end of a stick. Any sort of

roof which will keep out the rain will answer the purpose.

Gumption.

The plans given may be, and are expected to be, altered to suit

requirements. If you use this roofing you must use substantial

supports, in the way of rafters, and put them close together. In all

cases, use your common-sense.

Don’t put much earth on a frail roof; it is only necessary to cover the

boards with sufficient earth or sod to conceal the wood.

Make a long box, of four boards (Fig. 82), for

A Ventilator,

and set this over a square hole cut in the roof for this purpose. The

ventilator should project at least one foot and a half above ground,

and the top or vent be protected by wire-netting or cross-pieces,

nailed on as shown in Fig. 82. Now spread small brush over the boards,

and dry leaves or straw over the brush, then shovel the dirt back in

the excavation until the club-house is entirely covered; pack the soil

firmly all around the house, leaving only the top of the ventilator and

the front door uncovered.

[Illustration: FIGS. 79-83.--Cross-Section of House.]

When all is finished to your satisfaction, conceal the ventilator

by brush or transplanted weeds or shrubs, and scatter grass and

clover-seed over the new earth. Make a strong door, after the plan in

Fig. 81, and fasten it on the front entrance with good hinges and a

padlock, and place some brush or growing shrubs in front of the door.

After the Grass Begins to Grow

there will be little to cause the passers-by to suspect that the green

bank conceals a room well supplied with chess, checkers, boys’ books,

and everything to make a boy happy.

Dangerous Caves.

There is an impulse implanted in all boys, which impels them to dig

caves in every convenient bank, and these caves are always more or less

dangerous from their liability to cave in upon the youthful miners. It

not infrequently occurs that sad accidents do happen to youngsters,

who, on account of lack of instruction, attempt to make underground

retreats in some sandy bank, by boring a hole in the face of the hill.

If, however, they make an excavation as here directed, and illustrated

by Figs. 76 and 76a, their parents need feel no apprehension, for there

is no more liability to accident than if they were digging in the home

garden. Many of these houses have already been constructed.

CHAPTER IX.

A BOYS’ CLUB-HOUSE ON THE WATER.

We cannot all be Robinson Crusoes, and real desert islands are scarce,

but with a little work we can build artificial islands, upon which

Robinson Crusoe cabins of novel designs may be erected, and by forming

Crusoe-Clubs,

consisting of as many members as the island homes will accommodate,

we shall have plenty of company. The President of such a club may be

called “Robinson Crusoe”; the Secretary, “Man Friday”; the Treasurer,

“The Goat,” and the Captain, “The Parrot.” In selecting a site for the

club-house, choose a bar or shallow place in some small lake or pond.

Not only is the

Foundation of the Club-House Submerged,

but it must be built under water, and every foot of water adds to

the difficulties. The following plans are made for foundations to be

laid in water not much over waist-deep. For the convenience of the

draughtsman, the bottom in the diagrams is supposed to be level.

The Building Material

necessary is such as the lumber-pile, the farm-yard, wood-shed or

forest will supply, and the necessary tools consist of some mauls, a

saw, auger, and hatchet. Make your own mauls, by sawing off the ends

of hardwood posts and fitting handles in holes bored in the pieces of

hardwood for that purpose. Fig. 84 shows a boy using a home-made maul.

[Illustration: FIG. 84.--Using a Home-made Maul.]

Should you be so fortunate as to be able to locate your house over

A Soft Bottom,